Burning man

Art. Music. Connection. Flames. Freedom. Burning Man is transformative on many levels. Many of us go to this festival annually as a pilgrimage to torch that which needs to be shed in our lives in order for fertile shoots to sprout. I find great solace in this communal experience and it gives me great hope that we, as a society, can burn and bury our baggage – that which is no longer serving us – and allow fresh ideas, ways of living, and new heroes to emerge that don’t resemble our past.

Burning Man conjures up all kinds of images for those who’ve never been. Naked new agers dancing till dawn. Polyamorous pursuers fueled by ecstasy. Yes, the Playa (the desert stage where the Man, the temple, and much of the art is located) is a...